What If?
by Agent N Danvers
Summary: AU where Warren missed and Tara survived. What will happen in the aftermath? And will everyone be the same as they were before? Rated T for now, but may change for later chapters
1. Chapter 1

**What If?**

 _AU where Warren missed and Tara survived. What will happen in the aftermath? And will everyone be the same as they were before?_

 **-X-**

 **Hi there, I don't know how many people are going to actually read this (because Buffy ended quite a while ago so-) but I'm going to try this anyways.**

 **This is my first BtVS fic, as well as my first Willow & Tara fic, so forgive me if there are any inaccuracies. I have seen all the seasons of Buffy that Netflix gave me, and I read season 8 part 1, but not totally caught up on the comics.**

 **-X-**

Willow gazed gently at Tara's sleeping form, sitting next to her hospital bed. Her eyes were red and slightly swollen. Her face was still wracked with worry. She had been assured that Tara was out of the woods, barring any complications. But her mind kept moving to the worst scenario. What if - Goddess forbid – something happened like what happened to Joyce? A brain aneurism or some form of clot or infection?

Willow brushed away the strands of hair that fell into Tara's face, her fingertips lingering, drifting, tracing, memorizing. Her temperature was higher than usual, which was not abnormal (Willow had been told.) She was pale, she had lost so much blood, some of it still stained Willow's hands. A nurse had brought by a pair of spare scrubs. Willow had changed into them quickly, not wanting Tara to be alarmed when she woke up. But then Willow sat in the chair and waited for hours. Her hand holding Tara's, her other gently drifting.

Xander had come in to check on them earlier and to give Willow an update on Buffy. She and Tara had both been brought in at the same time, gone into surgery at the same time. But Tara had come out first. Hers was through-and-through, but Buffy's wasn't. Xander explained everything. Warren, the shots, the surgery. Buffy would be alright, but she wouldn't be charging after anyone, not for a while. Willow tried her best to listen, but most of what she had been told flew out the door after Xander left.

Willow yawned softly, resting her head on the bed, still holding Tara's hand, not meaning to fall asleep, but she did anyways.

 **-X-**

Willow slept in a deep, dreamless sleep, waking to find that Tara's hand wasn't in hers anymore. She jolted upright, fearing the worst, only to find that Tara had rolled onto her side, gazing softly at Willow as she had slept.

"If I could have, I would have pulled you up here with me." She murmured, her voice weaker than Willow had ever heard it.

Willow breathed out a large sigh, smiling and climbing onto the hospital bed as Tara patted the spot beside her. She grasped both of Tara's hands in her own, pulling them up to kiss them softly. "Baby, I was so worried." Willow breathed, the concern making her voice crack.

Tara smiled softly, gently pulling one of her hands free and stroking Willow's hair. "I know." She whispered. She rested her forehead against Willow's, holding her closely until they both drifted to sleep again.

 **-X-**

 **Two weeks later:**

Willow opened the door for Tara, letting her into the house first, following closely behind. Tara stopped at the stairs, one foot resting on the first step.

"What's wrong, baby?" Willow murmured, closing the door behind them. Tara shook her head. Gently, Willow grasped her shoulders, turning Tara around. "Hey, you can tell me anything." She breathed.

Tara looked down at the floor, her eyes flicking upwards to Willow before speaking. "I-it's just that, being back here. It f-feels – strange." Tara murmured nervously.

Willow glanced up the stairs, nodding slowly. "I think I know what you mean." She muttered darkly.

Tara lead Willow to the couch, pulling Willow to sit beside her. "It's just that s-so many things have happened here. N-not all bad things, mind you, but it's just that – it's all just-" she motioned with her hands, searching for the proper words to describe her feelings.

"I understand." Willow murmured, resting her forehead against Tara's. "What if we start looking for our own place?" She whispered curiously.

"Our own place?" Tara repeated cautiously. "Do you think we're ready for that?"

Willow smiled, pulling herself away. She took Tara's hands in hers, gently running her thumb across the smooth skin. "Yeah, I think so." She murmured. "I mean, we can start looking. We don't have to move anywhere right away. Besides, it's probably best if we wait until you're back in tip-top shape, anyways, but that doesn't mean that we can't look around, right?"

Tara smiled, biting her lower lip slightly. "Our own place." She whispered. "Let's do it."

 **-X-**

 **Three months later:**

Willow dropped the last box on the floor of their new apartment. "Thanks for your help Xander." She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Don't blame me, blame your girlfriend!" He retaliated, his mouth full of cookies.

Willow smirked softly at Tara, who had plastered on her 'I'm-totally-innocent-and-you-totally-love-me' face, which had the ability to get her out of almost any situation imaginable, as long as Willow was the one in charge. Willow wrapped her arms around her girlfriend's waist from behind, pressing a quick kiss to her cheek. "I can't blame her for anything bad." She murmured, glancing back at Xander. "Seriously, look at her face!" she said, grinning softly.

Tara's smile grew and she stuck out her tongue teasingly at Xander.

Willow pressed another kiss to Tara's cheek before pulling away and pointing at Xander. "Since you were such a big help moving the boxes in," she started. "You can help us by starting to unpack too." She said, grabbing a box and dropping it in front of his feet.

Xander sighed, grumbling softly under his breath.

Willow grinned and moved back to her girlfriend, softly kissing her as she pushed her backwards until she had her essentially pinned against the counter.

"You know, we should really help him unpack." Tara murmured as Willow brought herself closer.

Willow shrugged. "Hey, I did most of the unloading, he can do some unpacking for a while." She whispered, her lips pressing softly against Tara's neck.

Tara's hands drifted up, locking behind Willow's neck as she tilted her head to give her girlfriend more access.

Willow smiled softly against Tara's skin, humming with delight as she gently placed playful nips to her skin.

"Well someone looks busy!" exclaimed a cheerful voice.

Willow and Tara jumped apart, startled by Buffy's sudden appearance. "You scared us Buffy." Willow exclaimed.

"Sorry, Giles ran training long today. He still doesn't believe that I'm at 100%."

Tara smiled softly. "Don't worry about it. Do you want anything to eat or drink?" she offered.

Buffy shrugged. "Maybe just some water please." She said, sitting down at island where Xander had just vacated.

Tara nodded, turning to grab one of the bottles they had brought with them.

"Someone is very excited to break in their new place." Buffy whispered to Willow under her breath.

"Shut up." Willow responded, her face turning red. She cleared her throat and motioned to the room that Xander had retreated to. "I'm gonna go help unpack." She announced.

Tara smiled, handing Buffy the bottle of water. "I'm really sorry a-about that." She muttered. "It's just that – well, we haven't really – with the shooting and everything –"

Buffy nodded. "Hey, you don't have to explain yourself to me. I get it. All those memories, it couldn't have been easy. I thought about leaving too. Selling it." She murmured. "But it's Dawn's home too."

Tara nodded. "How is Dawn?" she asked. "I mean, she hasn't really been around much."

Buffy nodded. "Yeah, she's doing her best, I guess." She explained. "She doesn't really understand, but she will, one day. Hopefully soon."

Tara nodded. "Tell her that she's welcome to come over any time."

Buffy smiled. "I will." She glanced over her shoulder. "Should we go see if they need any help?"

Tara nodded again. "Probably." She said, laughing slightly.

 **-X-**

Willow dropped down on the couch, maneuvering herself so that her head rested in Tara's lap. Tara absent-mindedly began stroking Willow's hair, staring off into the distance. "Tara? Baby? What's wrong?" she asked, reaching her hand up to cup her cheek.

Tara glanced down at her. "Hmm? Oh, nothing." She said, shaking her head before returning to her blank expression.

Willow sat up, crossing her legs and turning to face Tara. "Baby, tell me what's wrong."

Tara dropped her hands in her lap, staring down at them and picking at the skin around her nails. Willow placed her hands on Tara's, feeling her stop, take a breath and then turn to face her. "What if he finds us?" she whispered. "What if h-he tries a-again?"

Willow shook her head. "Baby, don't even think that." She murmured. She pulled Tara into her arms, lying back on the couch so Tara was on top of her. She wrapped her arms around the brunette, running her hands across her back. "The only people who know where we are wouldn't tell him in a million years. Plus, we put up all those protection spells."

Tara's body shook softly, tears falling from her eyes. "I know, it's just – i-I'm still so s-sc-scared." She sobbed.

Willow held Tara tightly, letting her cry, until the sobs slowed. Willow pulled both of them up slightly so she could look into Tara's face. She brushed away the stray hairs that stuck to her face, gently drying the tears with her thumb. "Me too." She whispered. "But if anyone wants to get to you, they have to go through me first." She said firmly. She smiled softly, earning a weak smile from Tara in return. Willow gently lifted Tara, cheating slightly by using a bit of magic, and carried her to their room, gently laying both of them down. She held Tara tightly as they both fell asleep in their own place.

 **-X-**

 **Like I said, all errors are mine.**

 **Please feel free to leave any comments or critiques, and thank you for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**-X-**

Tara kicked out in her sleep, throwing the covers to the floor, thrashing and jerking. Mumbles grew into shouts, then screams. Willow sat up quickly and shook Tara gently. "Tara. Tara, -Baby!" she shouted.

Tara shot up, screaming, her hair plastered to her face with cold sweat. She searched the room frantically, searching for someone who wasn't there. "H-he was here! I saw – Is –s –I saw him!" she screamed.

Willow grabbed Tara's shoulders, and sat down in front of her, moving her hands to hold Tara's shoulders. "Shhh, baby. I'm here. It's just us here, baby, I promise." She whispered.

Tara shook her head. "N-no. I saw him!" she insisted.

"It was a dream. Just a dream." Willow breathed. She held open her palm, letting a small, cool white flame flicker there momentarily, before it rose and illuminated their bedroom. She ran her hands down Tara's arms, wrapping her in a tight hug. "It's just us. It was just a dream. Okay?" she whispered. She could feel Tara's heart pounding against her chest, feel her shaking with fright.

Tara searched every corner of the room again and again, until she finally nodded. She returned Willow's hug, taking deep breaths as Willow pulled her back down to lay with her. She nuzzled her head against Willow's chest, wrapping her arms around the red-headed woman, listening to the steady beat of her heart. As she calmed down, she shook her head. "I'm so sorry darling."

Willow, arms wrapped protectively around the blonde, kissed the top of her head. "It's alright." She murmured, the exhaustion slipping into her voice. "Do you want to talk about it?" she murmured.

Tara shook her head. "You're tired."

"No I'm not." Willow murmured in response. "You'll feel better if you tell me about it. We can work through it together."

Tara sighed softly. "I – we were back in the hospital. It kept switching. First it was m-me. I was the one in the hospital bed. And then it was you, and then me again. And all the machines just kept getting louder and louder, until they were all I could hear. And then you d-died-" Tara choked.

Willow gave Tara a tight squeeze. "I'm right here baby. I'm not going anywhere."

"A-and then you were g-gone. And it was just me. H-here. In our room. And that's when he showed up." Tara grasped Willow's shirt tightly in her fist. "He p-pointed the gun at me. He said – something. I can't remember. Or I couldn't hear it. And he fi-fired and-" Tara sobbed softly, shaking her head. "Then I woke up."

Willow kissed the top of her head again, squeezing Tara firmly against her chest. "Hey," she murmured, pulling both of them up slightly, so she could look Tara in the eye. "We're going to find him." She nodded. "I promise. Even if I have to track him down myself. He will _never_ hurt you again."

Tara smiled softly, her eyes still wet with tears. "I know. B-but it's not me I'm scared for." She mumbled. "I don't know what I would do if I lost you." She breathed.

Willow's heart broke, she pulled Tara up to her, pressing a firm kiss to her lips. "That's never going to happen." Willow murmured as she pulled away. She watched as Tara nodded, slowly resting her head back on Willow's chest and closing her eyes. Willow laid back, listening to Tara's breathing deepen as she fell back asleep. Willow rested her chin on Tara's head, pulling a spare cover over the both of them, and brushing back the hair that covered Tara's face.

 **-X-**

Willow poured coffee into three mugs, rubbing her eyes. Slowly, she handed one over to Buffy, who was sitting on the counter.

"Tired?" Buffy asked.

Willow glanced over at the bedroom, holding up one finger. She took one mug into the bedroom and put it on the side table, brushing strands of hair out of Tara's face, gently kissing her forehead as she slept. She shut the door behind her as she returned to the kitchen. "Sugar?" she asked.

Buffy glanced over her shoulder to the now-closed bedroom door. "Long night?" she questioned.

Willow sighed softly, sipping her coffee and nodding. "Nightmares." She responded.

"Still?"

Willow nodded again. "I don't think that they're getting any better. I thought once we moved out into our own place, the nightmares might – you know-"

"Vanish?" Buffy offered.

Willow shrugged. "Well, not immediately, or completely," she mumbled, sipping her coffee again. "But, I thought they might not be as bad here."

"Are they getting worse?"

"They seem to be." Willow said quietly.

Buffy sighed. "Is there anything I can do?" she asked, glancing back over at the closed door.

Willow shook her head. "Not that I can think of." She muttered. "Just – find him."

Buffy nodded.

 **-X-**

Willow crept back into their room quietly, laying down next to Tara and wrapping her arms around her once more.

Tara stirred slightly. "Hmmm, is it morning?" she asked, not opening her eyes.

Willow smiled softly. "Barely." She whispered.

Tara huffed softly, pulling herself closer to Willow. "How long till we need to get up?"

Willow kissed her forehead. "Don't worry about that. We'll just have a lazy day." She muttered, resting her forehead against Tara's.

Tara nodded, grasping Willow's shirt in her fist again before nodding off to sleep once more.

Willow gazed softly at the other woman. Tara usually woke once a night, and most times, she was screaming. Last night had been a rare occasion where Willow only had to calm her once. But every time that Willow had to coax her back to sleep, she grew more and more concerned about Tara, and how she was dealing.

 **-X-**

Willow woke to someone gently stroking her cheek. "Mmm, Tara?" she muttered.

"It's late."

Willow sighed softly. "You didn't have the best night." She mumbled, peering through her eyelashes. "I wanted to let you get as much rest as you could." Willow said through a yawn.

Tara sighed softly. "I'm sorry." She breathed.

Willow shook her head. "Stop saying that."

Tara let her hand fall to the mattress, sighing softly. "You aren't sleeping well. It's – It's not good for you." She responded.

Willow sat up slightly, opening her eyes. "Listen to me," she said firmly, taking Tara's hands in her own. "None of this is your fault. Okay? Nothing. We are going to find him, and we're going to stop him."

Tara looked down at their hands. "I know. But until then-" she muttered. "I t-think that I shouldn't be here." She pulled her hands out of Willow's not looking at the other woman.

"Tara, I don't – " Willow stammered. "What are you saying?"

"This isn't good for you!" Tara insisted. "You aren't sleeping. And you're running on caffeine and sugar and it's not safe!" she said.

Willow shook her head. "What do you mean, not safe?"

Tara's eyes filled with tears. "I mean, it's not safe with me around." She saw Willow open her mouth to argue, cutting in before she could protest. "These nightmares are getting w-worse. And it's just a matter of time before I wake up and he'll be here."

Willow shook her head, taking Tara's hands in hers again.

"Not _h-here,_ here," Tara murmured. "But in my h-head, here. Making me think that he's actually in the room, or that it's him lying next to me and not you." She choked, tears falling from her eyes. "I know I'm not as powerful as you, but I can still do stuff, and - and -and I don't want to hurt you. I can't lose you." She pleaded. "Please, let me go."

 **-X-**


	3. Chapter 3

**-X-**

 **Two days later:**

"You won't even tell me where you're going?" Willow murmured sadly.

Tara looked back at the red-haired woman. Her bags were packed, sitting by the door, and the cab was waiting for her outside.

"What if I need to find you?" Willow asked.

Tara stepped towards her, reaching out and taking Willow's face gently in her hands. "I'm going to come back." She murmured. She noticed the tears that Willow was trying to hide. "I just need to get better first. And I don't know how long that will be."

Willow looked away from Tara, closing her eyes softly and shaking her head. "Please stay." She whispered, opening her eyes and staring pleadingly at Tara.

Tara's heart fell apart, her own tears gathering in the corner of her eyes. "I can't." she muttered.

Willow closed her eyes, her breath catching in her throat. She pulled herself out of Tara's reach, crossing her arms over her chest.

Tara's hands fell to her sides, the pieces of her heart shattering even further. "Willow –"

Willow sat down on the couch, facing away from the door. "I don't understand," She muttered. "I can help you. We can figure this out together."

Tara kneeled beside her on the floor. "Willow, my darling, please. Look at me," she pleaded. Willow's looked over at the other woman, kneeling on the floor. The tears had spilled over, and were running freely down Willow's cheeks. Tara brushed them away softly with the pad of her thumb. "I can't take the chance that I might hurt you."

Willow turned to Tara. "But you don't have to go." She insisted. "You can stay in the bedroom, and I can stay out here on the couch and it'll work, I promise. Please, baby, please -" She begged. "I need you here. I couldn't stand it last time. I barely slept, and I nearly went off the deep end. I almost killed Dawn and myself. Please, Tara, I need you to stay." She sobbed.

Tara's tears had made their way down her cheeks as she listened to Willow's pleading. She took a deep breath, biting her lip, and shook her head. "I-I can't." she murmured. She grabbed Willow's hands and held onto them firmly, staring up at her. "Willow, please. Please. I have to do this."

Willow's head dropped. She tore her hands out of Tara's, pulling her knees up to her chest and hugging them tightly. She watched through her tears as Tara wiped away her own tears and headed towards the door. "Tara," she murmured, lifting her head one last time. "I love you."

Tara choked back her tears, glancing softly back at Willow. "I'll be back as soon as I can." She whispered. She grabbed her bags and headed out the door, resting her back against it once it was closed. She could hear Willow beginning to weep inside, and she quickly forced herself outside before she could rush back in to her.

 **-X-**

 **Two weeks later:**

Willow knew that it was for the best. That Tara leaving probably gave her the opportunity to rest and get her strength back. She knew that everything she had suggested wouldn't have worked. That if Tara had stayed and she had slept on the couch, she still would have woken to Tara's screams, and she would have laid there to comfort her, and nothing would have changed. But it still felt like she had been abandoned. And she knew that she had only told Tara that she loved her to try to get her to stay. She would have done anything to have her stay. It wasn't that she didn't love Tara, she did, but she knew that she shouldn't have tried to force her to stay by saying it.

"Will? Willow!"

Willow glanced back up at Buffy, shaking her head. "Sorry, what?"

Buffy sighed slightly. "Will, I know that you're worried about her, but we need to focus."

Willow nodded. "No, I know. You're right. I'm sorry." She said, glancing back down at her computer. "It looks like he stole some mechanical parts, money and a couple guns."

"Great, just what Warren needs _more_ of. Guns." Xander said sarcastically.

Buffy glanced at the computer. "Does it look like he's going to build another robot?" she asked.

Willow shrugged. "It could be. But he wouldn't have everything he needed just from this place. He'd need to get some spare metal, and some computer parts too." She glanced at the inventory again. "Uh oh."

Buffy looked back at Willow. "What, _Uh oh?_ "

"Well, if this list is right, it looks like he stole enough parts to make at least four new bots." Willow said darkly.

Buffy sighed. "This just keeps getting better and better."

 **-X-**

Tara sighed as she stared at the phone. She had picked it up so many times, intending to call Willow. Let her know that she was alright. That it wouldn't be too much longer. That she would be home soon. But every time she picked up the phone, she could hear Willow's voice pleading with her to come home. So she put it off, every time telling herself that she would call her the next day, but it never happened. Finally she found herself picking up the phone, dialing their number, and clutching the receiver with both hands. It rang for what felt like an eternity before a voice answered on the other line.

" _Hello?"_

"Hey, Xander?" She asked, not totally sure if it was him. The connection wasn't the best and it sounded slightly garbled.

" _Tara, is that you? How are you?"_ He asked.

Tara smiled softly. "I'm-m doing alright. Thanks." She responded. "Scooby meeting?"

" _Yeah, we got a lead on Warren. It's pretty slim, but it's not nothing."_ He said. Tara could almost hear the smirk in his voice.

"Th-that's great. I'm glad." She said. "Is W-Willow there?" she asked.

" _Oh, yeah, just a sec-"_ There was some muffled talking, and noise like Xander had just covered the mouthpiece with his hand. _"Uh, she actually just stepped out for a sec."_ Tara could tell he was lying through his teeth. _"Do you want me to take down a number so she can call you back?"_ He asked.

Tara's face fell. "N-no. We aren't really s-sus-supposed to give out numbers here." She murmured. "J-just tell her that I miss her and I'm doing my best to get home to her soon."

" _Of course."_ Xander said. _"We miss you."_

Tara smiled softly. "Thanks. I miss you guys too."

" _Bye."_

"Bye." Tara dropped the phone slowly, holding it against her chest before hanging it up.

 **-X-**

Buffy glared at Willow, shaking her head slightly.

"What?" Willow said defensively.

"You're not even going to talk to her now?" Buffy said, sitting next to Willow.

"It's not that I don't want to talk to her," Willow said. "She made it perfectly clear that she needed to focus on herself. So that's what she's doing. And I'm helping her by giving her space to do that." Willow muttered, glancing at Buffy sideways from her computer screen.

"Oh please." Buffy scoffed.

"What?" Willow responded.

"When she left, we didn't hear from you for three days. And even then, we only knew that you were alright because I came over and broke the door down."

"Yeah, thanks for that, by the way. We're definitely not getting our security deposit back now." Willow said.

"My point is," Buffy continued. "You are avoiding her because either you said something you regret, or she said something that made you so uncomfortable that you are now avoiding talking about it."

Willow stared back down at her computer screen, glancing over at Xander, who managed to take a hint.

"I am going to go and get some snacks." He said, smiling widely and making a grand gesture of leaving the apartment.

Buffy narrowed her eyes as the door shut behind him. "Spill."

Willow sighed, closing the computer and pulling her knees up to her chest. "Itoderioveder." Willow muttered.

"What?"

"I told her I loved her, okay?!" Willow exclaimed. "And it's not that I don't love her, I do! It's just –" she sighed. "I didn't do it right. I said it because I thought it would make her stay, but it didn't and now everything is just all screwed up."

Buffy shook her head slightly. "Okay, so that is definitely is not the 'right' way to tell someone," she said. "But if you really love this girl, you're going to have to talk to her eventually. Because sooner or later, she's going to come home to you. And my bet is that she's trying to get home to you as fast as she can."

 **-X-**


	4. Chapter 4

**-X-**

 **One week later:**

Tara had already stayed much longer than she had hoped. She had originally thought that she would only be there for a week max. But then another week went by, and another. She was getting anxious. She'd gone to every one of her therapy sessions, written in the dream journal, and done all the exercises that the doctor had suggested. But she was still there. And so she found herself in another group talk, going around the circle and talking about their messed up lives.

She could hear someone talking, but the words that were being said just went in one ear and out the other. Her brain was focused on Willow. She could see her face in her mind, each freckle, the way her eyes shone with that fire that was so distinct to the young red-headed witch, the way her hair looked when she woke up in the morning. Tara smiled softly to herself.

"And finally-" a loud voice boomed, breaking through the thoughts. "We will be saying goodbye to one of our newest members. She has made a speedy, but excellent recovery during her time her with us."

Tara sighed internally. In her three weeks of being there, she had seen at least six other people leave, two of which had arrived after she did.

"Tara!"

Tara glanced up, wide eyed. She pointed at herself. "M-me?"

"Yes Tara. We are very proud of how far you've come here. You used to wake up every night with terribly nightmares about the young man who tried to kill you. And now you hardly wake up in the night at all." The doctor said proudly. "You can return home as soon as tomorrow evening."

 **-X-**

Tara rushed back to her room and picked up the phone, dialing the only number she knew by heart. "Please pick up, please, please." She pleaded in a whispered.

" _Hello?"_

"Willow?" Tara said, smiling widely.

" _H-hi Tara."_ Willow said. Tara could hear a tone of slight shame enter her voice.

"Willow, baby. I'm coming home." Tara exclaimed.

" _What, when?"_ Willow asked.

"I can leave tomorrow night. I can be there the next morning." Tara said excitedly.

" _Tara, baby, that's great!"_ Willow responded. _"I can't wait to see you!"_

Tara smiled. "I missed you. I missed your voice." She murmured softly into the receiver.

" _Tara, baby I'm so so-"_

"Don't you dare," Tara muttered quietly. "I understand. I really do. And we can talk more about it when I get home, okay?"

" _Okay."_ Willow said softly.

"And Will?" Tara murmured.

" _Yeah?"_

"I love you."

 **-X-**

Willow got up the next morning and began cleaning every inch of the apartment. In the three weeks that Tara had been gone, it had turned into a disaster zone. Willow had thrown her dirty laundry all around the apartment, there were take-out containers and pizza boxes everywhere, and the bathroom was an entirely different story. She threw all the laundry in the wash, and carried every piece of garbage she could find out to the dumpster, and scrubbed every surface with the appropriate cleaner. She threw the laundry into the dryer and ran off to the store to get the ingredients for the perfect dinner and desert for when Tara got home the next day. She carried the groceries home and put them away, finishing up the laundry and putting everything in its proper place. Lastly, she set the table for their dinner, so that all she needed to focus on was making the meal the next day.

After she finished everything, she took a seat on the couch and sighed, glancing around her. Everything was clean, and it only took her the entire day. She laughed softly to herself, shaking her head before she grabbed one of her books that was resting on the coffee table, flipping it open to where her bookmark rested. She read for half an hour before falling asleep on the couch, her head resting on the arm.

She woke to a knock on the door. Puzzled, she stood and made her way over, glancing through the peep hole. She excitedly unlocked it and threw it open, smiling widely. "Tara! You're home early!" She said, throwing her arms around the other woman's neck. She pulled her inside, shutting the door behind them. "You must be hungry. I'll get you something." She said, smiling as she opened the fridge. "I was planning on making an entire meal for tomorrow. I had to do some cleaning before you got back, so the place looks fairly nice, but I must look like a mess." She closed the fridge, startled as she saw Tara standing right behind her. She smiled, slightly nervous. "Here, put these on the counter." She said, handing Tara a jar of pickles.

She let go of the jar, jumping as Tara let the fall to the floor. "Are you alright, baby?" Willow asked. She glanced back to the door, her brow furrowing slightly. "Tara, where are your bags?" She watched as Tara looked her up and down blankly, blinking slightly. Willow edged herself away from Tara, finding herself backed into a corner. "Tara-?" she whispered.

Tara lunged at Willow, who ducked under her arm and ran for the door. She threw out a barrier spell, knowing it would only hold off her attacker temporarily. But the Tara-imposter managed to grab a hold of Willow's ankle, causing her to fall to the floor, most of her weight landing on her head and knocking her out.

 **-X-**

Tara paid her cab driver and grabbed her bags off the sidewalk, staring up at the building. She took a deep breath, taking in the familiar scent and practically ran up the stairs. She unlocked the security door, climbing the stairs to the apartment she shared with her girlfriend, and opened the door. "Willow?" She called out, closing it behind her. "Will?" She dropped her bags on the floor, glancing around. The apartment looked great, Willow must have used her entire day to clean. Tara walked in, making her way towards the bedroom. "This place l-looks great." She said, rubbing her hands together nervously. "You must have spent the whole day on this." She opened the door, turning on the light to find a perfectly made bed, and no Willow. "Willow?" She called again. She sighed softly, heading towards the kitchen, stopping as she stepped on a small pickle. She peered around the counter, finally noticing the mess. Glass was everywhere, brine covered the floor, and on the edge of the tiles lay a small pool of red blood.

 **-X-**


End file.
